Method and composition for the treatment of wood.



T A A f Wt W M It i it l ff.

GEORGE MICHAEL FISCHER, OF BIGPOOL. MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKLIN JACOB OTTO, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR THE TREATMENT OF WOOD.

aaeaeoe. No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonon MICHAEL FISCHER, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Bigpool, in the county of Wash ington and State of Maryland, have invent-- ed certain new and useful Im rovements in a Method and Composition or the Treatment of Wood, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to agermicide, fungicide and insecticide, for the treatment of diseases of trees, vines, bushes and other foliage or vegetable and plantiferous growths which diseases originate through the formation of destructive micro organisms or insect pests; and which acts also to preserve and protect such plants against such diseases.

Further my invention relates to a hitherto unknown composition which, besides acting as a germicideand fungicide to produce asepsis, also acts as an efiicient preservative for wood and therefore it is particularly adaptable for use in the preservation and prolongation of the life of railroad ties, telegraph poles, wooden piles and all other articles which are constructed of wood and in their various uses are subjected to the deleterious efiects of moisture and weather.

Heretofore it has been a common expedient to impregnate wooden articles, such as those above mentioned, with creosote for the purpose of preserving the same by protecting them against the decaying and weathering effects of atmospheric changes. However, it has been found in practice that, while creosote acts as a fairly effective preservative, its practical use is oflset in a great measure by reason of the dangers to those who handle the articles thus treated, due to the fact that creosote causes dan erous sores and eruptions upon the hands 0 those who handle it and articles treated with it.

Also it has been common. practice to immerse such articles as wood ties, telegraph poles and the like in a sulfuric acid bath 'for the purpose of producing a carbon coat- 'ing upon the exterior which acts to preserve the article thus treated from decay.

However, this method also has its defects, firstly, because sulfuric acid is expensive and difficult to handle, and secondly because the carbon coating thus produced does not extend into the core of the article as in meth- Specification of Letterelatent.

(slaked lime).

Patented July 10, row.

Application filed December 10. 1914. Serial No. 876,476L

rials, and thirdly it must be of simple composition.

The novel preparation of the present invention possesses the above advantages and 1n additlon embodies certain material advantages in composition and consistency which make it articularly valuable and advantageous. T is preparation comprises essentlally potassium permanganate which, forpurposes of use is combined in solution with a thickening or emulsifying agent wh ch masks or retards its action so that the actlon is more mild and prolonged, and so that after application a hardening, agent is formed in and on the material treated. As such thickening agents may be mentioned cold water paint (suchas the common organic water soluble paint) or white-wash The permanganate is advantageously used in dilute solutions such, for example, as one pound in a thousand gallons of water (8,000 pounds), to which is added, forexample, one-half bushel of slaked lime (50 pounds). The resulting liquid is similar to white-wash but more dilute. Cold water aint gives a similar composition. Less o the slaked lime or cold water paint can be used, 6. 9., one peck to one pound of the permanganate and one thousand gallons of water. Less water can also be used where a stronger preparation is desired. In using this preparation it is sprayed on the trees or other objects, or the articles are immersed in it. Potassium permanganate itself sometimes acts too energetieally, particularly in strong solutions, but when in very. dilute solutions, such as those above referred to, it is a valuable preservative and disinfectant and when combined or masked or thickened its action is still more mild but also more prolonged, and when slaked lime is used, the combination is particularly advantageous.

Moreover, potassium permanganate usually gives a reddish or purplish tint or color when used in strong solutions. Such use of the thickening agent this action is modified and retarded so'that the immediate and more intense action is prevented and the plants and articles protected to a suf- .ficient exte'nt, while the valuable action of the permanganate is nevertheless retained and improved. The tendency toward coloration is avoided or minimized, the result being in appearance more than that of a very dilute white-wash, but with the adenergetic action is desired.

Th novel preparation can also be used as a supplementary treatment of poles which have already been treated with creosote. This treatment very materially increases the durability of the treatment and the life of the treated article. It also protects the hands of the workers from poison, the poisonous nature of the creosote being destroyed or minimized. In th1s case the use of the permanganate alone insolution is advantageous. The life of wood so. treated is materially prolonged.

Particularly for poles and ties that are to be buried in the ground, this treatment with creosote and thenwith permanganate solution gives a harder and more permanent product. The permanganate is the commerci'al potassium permanganate, obtamable 1n either crystal or powder form. Wlth the strength of solution usedit ismexpensive as a treating material, and when used in combination with the lime or cold water paint as modifying-agents the. preparation as a whole is inex ensive. The preparation.

is used in liquid orm after thorough mixing. It is particularly valuable as a spray,

' destroyingfungus growths and acting both as a funglcide and as an insecticide.

wash itself also acts as a preservative and coating, even in dilute solutions but the strength of the solution can be increased and the coating and protecting action further increased, the retarding action on the permanganate being correspondingly increased.

I claim: y

A composition of matter for use in spraying trees or plants comprising substantially 16,000 partsby Weight of water, one part by Weight of potassiumpermanganate, and

100 parts by weight of slaked llme.

In testimon whereof I aiiix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

GEORGE MICHAEL FISCHER. Witnesses: MALCOLM J. HENEsY, GEORGE I. BREWER. 

